What is a cochlear implant?

A cochlear implant is an electronic device designed to provide enhanced sound perception and the potential for greater speech understanding for children and adults with significant hearing loss.

A cochlear implant has external components, a sound processor and a headpiece, which can be taken off and put on easily. It also has internal parts, which are implanted during surgery and are not visible: the implant and the electrode array.

A cochlear implant works by bypassing the damaged or missing hair cells in the cochlea and stimulating the hearing nerve directly.